Industry News
Exotic languages still 'unpopular' in independent schools
Posted on 17th March 2008
Exotic foreign languages, such as Russian and Japanese, have failed to catch on in the UK's private schools, according to the 2008 Good Schools Guide.
The guide found that while unusual languages are becoming more common in top private schools in Australia and Canada, their popularity is declining in the UK's independent schools.
Learning certain languages, such as Chinese, at school could give students a competitive advantage in their future career - a fact which many independent schools have recognised.
However, the difficulty of such languages means it can take a significant amount of time just to master the basics, which puts many students off.
The guide found that only 130 private school pupils took Japanese at A-level last year, a drop of 17 since 2004.
Meanwhile the number of Russian A-level entrants has inched up slightly, but only from 335 to 392.
Earlier today Cambridge University announced plans to abandon its requirement for applicants to have taken a language at GCSE, as too few state schools now offer modern languages past the age of 14.